Today I learned that copyright laws are very extensive. For instance, I did not know that you could not download a song from a CD that you own onto your computer, and then place it on a website that you own. I had always figured that since you had not illegally obtained the song, and that you own the CD it was alright for you to but it on your web page. Because both the CD and that website are yours it was okay to transfer the song from the CD to the site, or so I thought.
Copyright laws say that for a person to use a song that person must get permission from the musical composer as well as the sound recording owner before you place music on the internet.
At first I did not understand this and wondered what harm this would do but then I realized that if this were allowed then there would be many websites that let people listen to and download songs for free. This is like all illegal downloading theft of an owned piece of art, which music is.
I have yet to see a copyright law that is absurd, but I have not looked at all of them either. So as far as I can see copyright laws are a pretty good thing.
1 comment:
You bring up the point of websites having music available. I wonder how youtube and myspace get around copyright.
Post a Comment